People PAY you for this?

A business reached out to me, asking me to come in to discuss the project, budget, etc. 

Unfortunately, my contact at the business (the marketing director) wasn’t available that day so I had to talk to the owner. 

Client: So what is it that you can do for me?

Me: I’m a content strategist. I can build out a series of articles and a social media schedule to build your SEO, helping your business show up in more searches. 

Client: And HOW much does this cost? 

Me: Well, as I already discussed with [marketing director], my fees start at $X and go up to $Z. 

Client: And people PAY you this? 

Me: …

I left without a contract or anything. The marketing director got in touch with me a day later and apologized profusely, basically begging me to come back. I agreed on two conditions: that I wouldn’t have to work with the owner and all my approval would come from marketing, and that I would be paid for that useless, useless trip into the office.

When’s the last time a client wasted YOUR time?